Medical Xpress news tagged with:opioidshttp://medicalxpress.com/
en-usMedical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.On the front lines of the heroin epidemic, offering a lifesaving treatmentDeaths from opioid overdose are at an all-time high across the United States, and Birmingham has been hit particularly hard. In the past four years, heroin overdose deaths in Jefferson County and surrounding areas rose from 12 individuals to 137. But a team of UAB researchers is taking action to respond.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-front-lines-heroin-epidemic-lifesaving.html
AddictionMon, 27 Jul 2015 08:10:03 EDTnews357201878One in 4 people prescribed opioids progressed to longer-term prescriptionsOpioid painkiller addiction and accidental overdoses have become far too common across the United States. To try to identify who is most at risk, Mayo Clinic researchers studied how many patients prescribed an opioid painkiller for the first time progressed to long-term prescriptions. The answer: 1 in 4. People with histories of tobacco use and substance abuse were likeliest to use opioid painkillers long-term.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-people-opioids-longer-term-prescriptions_1.html
MedicationsThu, 23 Jul 2015 17:40:01 EDTnews356888414Molecular mechanisms contributing to addiction resistance uncoveredGrowing up in West Virginia, Jill Turner saw firsthand the kind of havoc that drug addiction can wreak.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-molecular-mechanisms-contributing-addiction-resistance.html
Medical researchWed, 22 Jul 2015 12:22:50 EDTnews356786559Many opioid overdoses linked to lower prescribed doses, intermittent useOverdoses of opioid pain medications frequently occur in people who aren't chronic users with high prescribed opioid doses—the groups targeted by current opioid prescribing guidelines, reports a study in the August issue of Medical Care.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-opioid-overdoses-linked-doses-intermittent.html
MedicationsWed, 15 Jul 2015 12:09:25 EDTnews356180952Opioids may not spell relief for chronic back pain sufferers with depression, anxietyAlthough opioids are frequently prescribed to treat chronic lower back pain, new research suggests these powerful medications may be less effective in some patients. A study published in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), found patients who were prescribed opioids to treat chronic lower back pain experienced significantly less pain relief and were more likely to abuse their medication when they had psychiatric disorders such as depression or anxiety.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-opioids-relief-chronic-pain-depression.html
MedicationsThu, 09 Jul 2015 09:30:01 EDTnews355645855Prescription drug monitoring programs offer multiple benefits(HealthDay)—Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), frequently utilized by emergency medicine physicians and designed to help identify patients who "doctor shop" for prescriptions, are used to guide clinical decisions and opioid prescribing, as well as to facilitate discussions and provide patient education. The findings were published in the June issue of Pain Medicine.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-prescription-drug-multiple-benefits.html
MedicationsFri, 03 Jul 2015 01:30:19 EDTnews355105809One in four people prescribed opioids progressed to longer-term prescriptionsOpioid painkiller addiction and accidental overdoses have become far too common across the United States. To try to identify who is most at risk, Mayo Clinic researchers studied how many patients prescribed an opioid painkiller for the first time progressed to long-term prescriptions. The answer: 1 in 4. People with histories of tobacco use and substance abuse were likeliest to use opioid painkillers long-term.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-people-opioids-longer-term-prescriptions.html
MedicationsWed, 01 Jul 2015 18:45:45 EDTnews354995137New naloxone capsule safe for opioid-induced constipation(HealthDay)—A new naloxone sustained release (NSR) capsule appears to be safe and efficacious for opioid-induced constipation (OIC), according to a study published online June 24 in Pain Medicine.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-naloxone-capsule-safe-opioid-induced-constipation.html
MedicationsWed, 01 Jul 2015 12:40:02 EDTnews354970812Tamper-resistant opioids will not solve opioid addiction problemTamper-resistant formulations of drugs will not solve the problems of opioid addiction and overdose, argues a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-tamper-resistant-opioids-opioid-addiction-problem.html
MedicationsMon, 29 Jun 2015 12:00:01 EDTnews354785738Survey: Many doctors misunderstand key facets of opioid abuseMany primary care physicians - the top prescribers of prescription pain pills in the United States - don't understand basic facts about how people may abuse the drugs or how addictive different formulations of the medications can be, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-survey-doctors-key-facets-opioid.html
MedicationsTue, 23 Jun 2015 13:04:19 EDTnews354283451Long-term use of prescription opioids linked to higher mortalityTaking prescription medications such as Vicodin or Oxycontin for long periods may increase a patient's risk of death from any cause, according to Yale researchers.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-long-term-prescription-opioids-linked-higher.html
MedicationsFri, 19 Jun 2015 07:40:02 EDTnews353917394Legal experts: Law enforcement officers should be authorized to administer overdose antidoteOpioid overdose is one of the leading causes of accidental death in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the epidemic accounts for some 25,000 deaths per year—or approximately 68 fatalities per day.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-law-officers-authorized-naloxone.html
MedicationsMon, 15 Jun 2015 14:10:37 EDTnews353596208Half of veterans who died from opioid overdoses also received benzosIn a recent study, nearly half of all veterans who died from drug overdoses while prescribed opioids for pain were also receiving benzodiazepines, or benzos, which are common medications for the treatment of anxiety, insomnia and alcohol withdrawal. Veterans prescribed higher doses of benzodiazepines while concurrently receiving opioids were at greater risk of overdose death than those on lower doses of benzodiazepines. The results of the study by researchers from Rhode Island Hospital, Boston Medical Center, and the Veteran Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System were published online in the BMJ today.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-veterans-died-opioid-overdoses-benzos.html
MedicationsFri, 12 Jun 2015 13:34:32 EDTnews353334864Clinicians reluctant to prescribe medication that counteracts effects of opioid overdoseA variety of factors including questions about risk and reluctance to offend patients limits clinician willingness to prescribe a potentially life-saving medication that counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose, according to a Kaiser Permanente Colorado study published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-clinicians-reluctant-medication-counteracts-effects.html
MedicationsTue, 09 Jun 2015 09:00:01 EDTnews353059135DEA wrapping up 4-state prescription drug crackdown in SouthFederal drug agents raided medical clinics, pharmacies and other locations across the South on Wednesday, wrapping up what a federal official called a long-running crackdown on prescription drug abuse.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-05-dea-state-prescription-southern-drug.html
MedicationsWed, 20 May 2015 10:50:01 EDTnews351336966Treating infants of mothers with opioid dependence—rising rates, rising costsAs more infants are born to mothers with dependence on prescription pain medications, the costs of treatment for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) have increased dramatically, suggests a report in the March/April issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-05-infants-mothers-opioid-dependencerising.html
AddictionTue, 19 May 2015 12:12:08 EDTnews351256320Substance abuse risk not greater in those using medical marijuana with prescribed opioidsAmong people who use medical cannabis for chronic pain, those who also take prescription pain medications are not at increased risk for serious alcohol and other drug involvement, according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-05-substance-abuse-greater-medical-marijuana.html
AddictionMon, 18 May 2015 02:49:44 EDTnews351136128Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney dz pain often refractory(HealthDay)—The etiology of pain in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is complex, and management of pain should be approached in a stepwise manner, according to a review published in the May issue of The Journal of Urology.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-05-autosomal-dominant-polycystic-kidney-dz.html
Diseases, Conditions, SyndromesSat, 09 May 2015 05:30:53 EDTnews350368247The opioid epidemic and its impact on orthopaedic careThe United States makes up less than five percent of the world's population but consumes 80 percent of the global opioid supply and approximately 99 percent of all hydrocodone—the most commonly prescribed opioid in the world. And, according to the authors of a new literature review in the May issue of The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons are the third highest prescribers of opioid prescriptions among physicians in the United States—behind primary care physicians and internists.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-05-opioid-epidemic-impact-orthopaedic.html
SurgeryThu, 07 May 2015 15:03:10 EDTnews350229769Emergency department opioid prescribingThe Emergency Department (ED) is at the convergence of the opioid epidemic as emergency physicians (EPs) routinely care for patients with adverse effects from opioids, including overdoses and those battling addiction, as well as treating patients that benefit from opioid use. Increasingly, EPs are required to distinguish between patients who are suffering from a condition that warrants opioids to relieve pain, and those who may be attempting to obtain these medications for other purposes, such as abuse or diversion. Overall, opioid pain reliever prescribing in the ED setting has increased over the past decade, but until now, the question of how ED prescribing is contributing to opioid use had not been clearly defined.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-05-emergency-department-opioid.html
MedicationsMon, 04 May 2015 14:17:14 EDTnews349967827Light—not pain-killing drugs—used to activate brain's opioid receptorsDespite the abuse potential of opioid drugs, they have long been the best option for patients suffering from severe pain. The drugs interact with receptors on brain cells to tamp down the body's pain response. But now, neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a way to activate opioid receptors with light.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-lightnot-pain-killing-drugsused-brain-opioid.html
NeuroscienceThu, 30 Apr 2015 12:00:04 EDTnews349611652Heroin use spikes among whites who abuse prescription painkillersResearchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health looked at the frequency of nonmedical prescription opioid use and the risk of heroin-related behaviors and found that past-year heroin use rose among individuals taking opioids like oxycontin and these increases varied by race and ethnicity. The most significant rise in heroin use was among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites, where the rate of heroin use for the latter group increased by 75 percent in 2008-2011 compared to earlier years. Findings are online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-heroin-spikes-whites-abuse-prescription.html
AddictionMon, 27 Apr 2015 12:51:47 EDTnews349357900Attending physicians, residents similar in opioid Rx monitoring(HealthDay)—Both residents and attending physicians are only partly compliant with national opioid prescribing and monitoring guidelines, according to a study published in the March issue of Pain Medicine.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-physicians-residents-similar-opioid-rx.html
MedicationsMon, 20 Apr 2015 17:30:01 EDTnews348767076Reduction in opioid prescribing, overdoses associated with pharma industry changesResults of a new study led by Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School (HMS), indicate that the introduction of abuse-deterrent OxyContin, coupled with the removal of propoxyphene from the US prescription marketplace, may have played a role in decreasing opioid prescribing and overdoses. The findings, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, showed that these two changes led to a 19 percent drop in prescription opioid supply that was mirrored by a 20 percent drop in prescription opioid overdose between August 2010 and December 2012. The drop in prescription opioid overdose was partially offset by an increase in overdose due to heroin, an illicit opioid.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-reduction-opioid-overdoses-pharma-industry.html
MedicationsMon, 20 Apr 2015 11:00:06 EDTnews348738435Local physician recommends World Health Organization retire the term opioid substitution therapyA Boston researcher and physician caring for individuals with substance abuse disorders, believes the term opioid substitution therapy (OST) has unintended adverse consequences for patients receiving treatment for addiction.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-local-physician-world-health-term.html
MedicationsThu, 16 Apr 2015 19:00:01 EDTnews348420057Study finds emergency departments may help address opioid overdose, educationEmergency departments (ED) provide a promising venue to address opioid deaths with education on both overdose prevention and appropriate actions in a witnessed overdose. In addition, ED's have the potential to equip patients with nasal naloxone rescue kits as part of this effort.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-emergency-departments-opioid-overdose.html
MedicationsMon, 13 Apr 2015 17:13:19 EDTnews348163991Cellular signals for pain fine tune neurons' sensitivity to opiodsAt the cellular level, pain and pain relief are caused by two different signaling pathways. But the two pathways aren't necessarily independent of one another, according to a study published by Carnegie Mellon researchers in Cell Reports.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-cellular-pain-fine-tune-neurons.html
MedicationsMon, 13 Apr 2015 17:12:43 EDTnews348163950Babies exposed to narcotic pain relievers more likely to experience withdrawalNeonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdrawal syndrome in infants following birth, has historically been associated with illicit drug use among pregnant women.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-babies-exposed-narcotic-pain-relievers.html
PediatricsMon, 13 Apr 2015 11:36:37 EDTnews348143789Pain management study reveals patient confusion about opioid addictionEmergency department patients have misperceptions about opioid dependence and want more information about their pain management options, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, published online in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, found that patients seen in the emergency department for acute pain expressed a desire for better communication from physicians about their pain management options, along with discussion of the risks of opioid dependence.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-pain-reveals-patient-opioid-addiction.html
MedicationsMon, 13 Apr 2015 11:36:02 EDTnews348143755Review: Opioids reduce breathlessness in COPD(HealthDay)—In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), opioids can improve breathlessness, but not exercise capacity, according to a review published online March 24 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-opioids-breathlessness-copd.html
MedicationsFri, 03 Apr 2015 15:10:01 EDTnews347292051